With the coming of the Civil War, and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before -- permanently altering the character of the republic and the psyche of the American people. Contending with death on an unprecedented scale posed challenges for which there were no ready answers when the war began. Americans worked to improvise new solutions, new institutions, and new ways of coping with death on an unimaginable scale.

My American Experience

Seven score and ten years after Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address, we asked people from across the country to send videos of themselves reciting the famous speech. They responded with gusto. How much do you know?